Written By NAFSO on Monday, July 18, 2011 | 12:20:00 PM

Minister of fisheries and aquatic resource development Dr.Rajitha Senarathna done a very good job by activating the country s' law on fisheries sector enforced by the Fisheries and aquatic resource Act no 02 of 1996.

Small scale fishers suffers for years, due to aquatic resource depletion, mainly caused by the harmful fishing practices carried out by several hundred crafts throughout the Sri Lankan waters. most of these crafts own by high level fish mongers. Money and power pause the law and continued destruction until new ministers stand against it.

After years of expectations small scale fishers have just started to earn some fare amount of money with the total activation of the law of using purse scene nets in the sea and other destructive fishing techniques such as dynamite explosions. specially fishers in southern part of the country have obtained results of law enforcement.

Story is totally different in eastern side, With the support of politicos in the area, several fishers destroying the fisheries resources using dynamites and purse seine nets. according to the small scale fishers Hon, Minister of fisheries have issued license to fishers to use PS nets 7 miles away from the coast line, (license not issued for several year for PS nets), but with the power of local politicians, fishing activities doing close to the coast line, even within the one and half kilometer distance.

Fishers who use regular nets and equipments are in economical loss due to low catch. most of them are catching only several fishers for about 12 working hours.

In a meeting held in Vijithapura, Trincomalee, to stop the destroying of fisheries resources and as the government not respect for all fishers equal rights and the sustainability of the resources, fishers taken a collective decision to re-open the court case which was closed in 2009, providing space to fishers to re open the case if not enforce the law properly and advising the government authorities to enforce the law and protect the sea.